Parameters used by centres to evaluate success of treatment with biologicals and strategies as well as outcomes for discontinuation of therapy
| All centres | Centre size# | |||
| 0–10 | 11–50 | 51 to >100 | ||
| Parameters to assess therapy success | ||||
| ACT | 77.8 (28/36) | 73.3 (11/15) | 80 (12/15) | 71.4 (5/7) |
| Exacerbation frequency | 94.4 (34/36) | 86.7 (13/15) | 100 (15/15) | 85.7 (6/7) |
| Use of rescue medication | 80.6 (29/36) | 60.0 (9/15) | 86.7 (13/15) | 100 (7/7) |
| Lung function | 77.8 (28/36) | 66.7 (10/15) | 73.3 (11/15) | 100 (7/7) |
| Blood eosinophil count | 22.2 (8/36) | 33.3 (5/15) | 13.3 (2/15) | 14.3 (1/7) |
| Nitric oxide | 33.3 (12/36) | 20 (3/15) | 33.3 (5/15) | 57.1 (4/7) |
| IgE level | 2.8 (1/36) | 0 (0/15) | 6.7 (1/15) | 0 (0/7) |
| Discontinuation strategy and success rate | ||||
| Stretch intervals | 39.4 (13/33) | 25 (3/12) | 46.7 (7/15) | 42.9 (3/7) |
| Stop and watch | 63.6 (21/33) | 66.7 (8/12) | 53.3 (8/15) | 71.4 (5/7) |
| Other (e.g. individual approach) | 15.2 (5/33) | 16.7 (2/12) | 13.3 (2/15) | 14.3 (1/7) |
| Success rate of discontinuation % | 50±34.5 | 35±38.6 | 50±36.7 | 62.5±22.1 |
Categorical data are presented as % (n out of N) or median±sd. ACT: asthma control test; IgE: immunoglobulin E. #: to achieve sufficient numbers for comparisons, centres were grouped into three categories for this analysis according to overall treatment experience (number of children ever treated with biologicals).